


not having fun

by ReptileRuler



Series: PRaZ FebuWhump [19]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, no comfort, revenge-fic with a twist, the comfort is that no one dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29581392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReptileRuler/pseuds/ReptileRuler
Summary: Zim finally has what he deserves. The Tallest under his boot. Revenge will be his.... But it doesn't feel as great as he expected.Febuwhump 2021 DAY 20: betrayal
Series: PRaZ FebuWhump [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137614
Kudos: 23
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	not having fun

**Author's Note:**

> I was looking at the prompt and trying REALLY hard to come up with something other than your generic 'Zim finds out the truth' fic. Soooo here's a post-'Zim learns the truth' fic. Hope you enjoy!

It was supposed to just be a field trip. Nothing had implied it to be anything else. The planet was as safe as could be, a friendly shopping-and-theme-park fusion planet that no one would dream to attack, because all aliens loved the concept so much. 

“Beg,” Zim said. Red trembled as he stared up the laser pointed at him, following Zim’s arm and shoulder, and into his narrowed eyes. “Beg like you’ve never begged before.”

“I- Zim, what? Why?” Red tried to not show how his breath caught in his lungs, how his antennae shook in fear.

Zim snarled, his shape backlit by the fires that had spread from his explosions. His human co-criminal stood a bit away with his own laser pointed at Pur, but he was looking in their direction, with a huge grin on his face. 

“You should know why”, Zim said, his foot pressing heavily into Red’s chest “You left me to rot on that stinking planet. You and everyone else, nobody cares for Zim!”

The laser went off and someone screamed. Red realized that it was he only when he ran out of air to keep going. As his voice died out he also realized that he wasn’t dead. The ground to his right, centimeters from his cheek, smoldered when Zim’s shot had hit.

“L-look, Zim. You don’t need to do this”, he tried, frantic to come up with  _ anything,  _ “We can-”

“I don’t care!” Zim yelled and fired at the ground again. This time Red managed to choke back his yells. “I want to see you suffer. Next shot takes your antenna.” He aimed.

“Wait, no, please!”

The gun closed in, Zim’s other foot placing itself on his neck to that he couldn’t trash around-

“Please!”

Red closed his eyes.

…

Nothing. He opened one eye and glanced up. 

The arm that held the gun had gone slack. Zim’s head hung slightly.

Red didn’t dare to speak, lest he really would lose an antenna. But he took a good look at their defected soldier. Zim had a deep frown on his face, and seemed to be deep in thought. 

“Zim?” The human piped up. Zim twitched slightly in his direction, and opened his mouth.

“Dib, could you, go? I would like to be alone for a minute.”

The human, Dib, raised his eyebrows. His wide grin faltered a little bit, but he nodded.

“Sure. I’ll, uh, I guess I'll see you back at the ship.”

He turned, leaving Purple to gather his wits. Pur had never been good in stressful situations, and even when he was still trapped on his back under Zim’s boots, he wished he could comfort his co-ruler.

“I am not having fun”, Zim mumbled. 

“... Huh?” Red turned his focus back to Zim. 

“This isn’t fun”, Zim said again, this time to Red instead of himself. “I want to enjoy your suffering, and I am not.”

… How was he supposed to reply to that?

“I deserve this”, Zim continued, spitting a bit in Red’s face, ”I deserve to see you in misery. You’ve laughed at me, and I should get to laugh at you! It is my right!”

He’d leaned all the way down into Red’s face, and his eyes burned with hot anger and pain. Red still searched for a response, but he had none. He tried, but nothing came out when he opened his mouth. 

Something seemed to have dampened Zim’s anger, be it the lack of ‘fun’, or something else, Red didn’t care. The second Zim stepped off him, he sat and scrambled backwards.

(Later, the smarter part of him would berate himself for not taking the gun out of Zim’s hand and turning the tables around.)

“... Will you be okay?”

“What?” 

Zim had mumbled, almost too quiet to hear, and Red almost couldn’t even believe the question.

“You can get a lift to the Massive? If I leave, will you just waste away here or will you get back up?” Zim snapped.

“I-” nothing about this made sense “-we’ll be fine.”

Zim nodded, once. He didn’t look happy, in fact, looked even worse now, with his teeth almost showing in a snarl, and his antenna pressed flat, than he had looked when he was screaming as Red to bed for his life. 

“Okay”, was all he said.

The Tallest watched him go. With a little less luck, this day could have ended in their assassination, at the vengeful hands of Irk’s most defective Irken.

Thanking whatever deity was listening, Red shakily crawled over to his co-ruler.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Cue Zim character growth arc -


End file.
